U.S. patent number 9,271,018 [Application Number 14/009,651] was granted by the patent office on 2016-02-23 for method of determining an unusual behaviour of an electronic apparatus, and electronic apparatus able to implement such a method.
This patent grant is currently assigned to SAGEMCOM BROADBAND SAS. The grantee listed for this patent is Thomas Landais. Invention is credited to Thomas Landais.
United States Patent |
9,271,018 |
Landais |
February 23, 2016 |
Method of determining an unusual behaviour of an electronic
apparatus, and electronic apparatus able to implement such a
method
Abstract
A method of determining an unusual behavior of an electronic
apparatus, the electronic apparatus carrying out an operation
requiring the use of an item of information regarding an internal
reference clock of the electronic apparatus, the method including
comparing the internal reference clock information item with a span
of temporal coherence of the electronic apparatus, the span of
temporal coherence being determined on the basis of various
temporal information items stored within the electronic apparatus;
in the case of inconsistency between the internal reference clock
information item and the coherence span, storing an information
item relating to an unusual behavior of the electronic
apparatus.
Inventors: |
Landais; Thomas
(Rueil-Malmaison, FR) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Landais; Thomas |
Rueil-Malmaison |
N/A |
FR |
|
|
Assignee: |
SAGEMCOM BROADBAND SAS (Rueil
Malmaison, FR)
|
Family
ID: |
44225688 |
Appl.
No.: |
14/009,651 |
Filed: |
March 30, 2012 |
PCT
Filed: |
March 30, 2012 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/EP2012/055850 |
371(c)(1),(2),(4) Date: |
October 03, 2013 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO2012/136596 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
October 11, 2012 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20140026171 A1 |
Jan 23, 2014 |
|
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 4, 2011 [FR] |
|
|
11 52890 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N
21/254 (20130101); G06F 21/554 (20130101); H04N
21/4305 (20130101); H04N 21/442 (20130101); H04N
21/4622 (20130101); G06F 21/10 (20130101); G06F
21/725 (20130101); G06F 2221/2137 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04N
21/254 (20110101); H04N 21/442 (20110101); H04N
21/462 (20110101); G06F 21/72 (20130101); H04N
21/43 (20110101); G06F 21/55 (20130101); G06F
21/10 (20130101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Other References
International Search Report issued for International Application
No. PCT/EP2012/055850, dated Jun. 18, 2012. cited by
applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Mengesha; Mulugeta
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
LLP
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A method of determining user profiles of an electronic
apparatus, said electronic apparatus to carry out an operation
requiring the use of an item of information regarding an internal
reference clock of said electronic apparatus, the method
comprising: comparing the internal reference clock information item
with a span of temporal coherence of the electronic apparatus, said
span of temporal coherence being determined on the basis of various
temporal information items associated with different information
sources and stored within the electronic apparatus; in the case of
inconsistency between the internal reference clock information item
and the coherence span, storing an information item relating to a
use of said electronic apparatus, wherein said storing of the
information item relating to the use of the electronic apparatus
comprises conditioning said storing on the observation of at least
one of the following conditions in a limited time interval related
to the carrying out of the operation requiring the use of the
internal reference clock; a number of information sources, from
which the temporal information items are acquired, accessible by
the electronic apparatus, has varied; an operation of connecting
and/or disconnecting a cable connected to the electronic apparatus
has been observed; an operation of purchasing an audio and/or video
content has been carried out through the intermediary of the
electronic apparatus.
2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: in order to
determine the span of temporal coherence, acquiring from a first
information source a first temporal information item able to be
used as internal clock of said electronic apparatus; acquiring from
at least one following information source at least one following
temporal information item, each following temporal information item
being able to be used as internal clock of said electronic
apparatus; storing in a memory of the electronic apparatus the
first temporal information item and each following temporal
information item, all of the stored temporal information items
constituting a time base of the electronic apparatus; selecting
among the different stored temporal information items an internal
reference clock of the electronic apparatus.
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein selecting the internal
reference clock is carried out by associating a hierarchy level
with each stored temporal information item, the internal reference
clock being constituted of the stored temporal information item
associated with the highest hierarchy level.
4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the hierarchy level is
assigned, for each stored temporal information item, as a function
of the information sources from where the considered temporal
information item comes.
5. The method according to claim 3, wherein association rules of
the levels of hierarchy are stored in a memory of the electronic
apparatus prior to the acquisition of the temporal information
items.
6. The method according to claim 2, further comprising replacing a
stored temporal information item by a more recent temporal
information item coming from the same information source as said
stored temporal information item.
7. Electronic apparatus able to implement the method according to
claim 1.
8. Digital television decoder able to implement the method
according to claim 1.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is the U.S. National Stage of PCT/EP2012/055850, filed Mar.
30, 2012, which in turn claims priority to French Patent
Application No. 1152890, filed Apr. 4, 2011, the entire contents of
all applications are incorporated herein by reference in their
entireties.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of determining an unusual
behaviour of an electronic apparatus, from time bases available
within the considered electronic apparatus; it also relates to any
electronic apparatus able to implement such a method. Such a
detection of unusual use may intervene for example to determine
user profiles that could be suspected of a fraudulent use of their
electronic apparatus.
The field of the invention is generally speaking that of electronic
apparatuses that can be connected to different sources able to
transmit to the considered electronic apparatus a flux of
information items, each source being associated with a time
reference that is specific to it. As examples of such electronic
apparatuses, digital radio receivers connected to the radio
broadcasting digital network and/or connected to the Internet
network may be cited. Digital tablets may also be cited, by means
of which it is possible connect to the Internet network for example
with a view to renting video on demand (VOD) films, which
constitutes a first source with a first time reference, and by
means of which it is possible to connect digital television
adaptors, which constitutes a second source with a second time
reference. As an example, digital television decoders, or set top
boxes (STB) may also be cited.
The invention will be more particularly described within the
context of digital television decoders, without the scope of the
invention being restricted to this application example. Recent
digital television decoders are capable of receiving fluxes of
signals from different sources (terrestrial and/or satellite and/or
cable and/or Internet, etc.).
In the field of digital television, digital television decoders are
used, particularly in order to access a series of television
channels which are transmitted encrypted and which are decrypted
within the decoder. Television decoders are interface organs
between television signal transmission systems, particularly
digital television signals in MPEG and DVB format, and viewing
monitors. The transmission means that transmit the television
broadcasts to these decoders/receivers are either conventional
aerial transmission means, or coaxial or optical cables, or
rebroadcasting satellites that cover a region, or instead the
Internet network. The decoder comprises receiving means to receive
the transmitted signals and formatting means to transform the
signals received into signals applicable directly on the controls
of the display device.
Formatting is carried out by respecting parameter tables for each
of the images to represent. Different types of tables may be
distinguished: IS (Information System) tables, PSI (Programme
Specific Information) tables, NIT (Network Information Tables), EIT
(Event Information Tables), PAT (Programme Association Tables), CAT
(Control Access Tables) or instead PMT (Programme Map Tables),
etc.
TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Once the tables have been constituted, it is indispensable for the
correct operation of the decoder that it acquires an internal
reference clock. The acquisition is carried out by recovering the
clock information item most often via the source constituted of the
flux of signals received by the decoder. Once the clock information
item has been received, it constitutes the internal reference clock
of the decoder, while being advantageously updated from time to
time by the same source as that which had allowed its initial
acquisition.
Such a reference clock is used permanently in decoding operations,
but also in ancillary operations such as for example the purchase
of video on demand (VOD). It makes it possible in particular to
limit the use of VOD, once it is purchased, to a certain duration
limited in time, usually by comparing the internal reference clock
of the decoder with a clock information item that is available on a
remote server. Certain persons guilty of fraud manage however to
intervene on the internal reference clock of the decoder in order
to bypass the security of VOD, consisting in limiting the viewing
thereof to a limited time. It thus appears in this precise case of
modifying the principle of the internal reference clock such as it
has existed until now.
In a more general manner, for various applications of digital
television decoders, and particularly for applications for
controlling the correct operation of said decoders, it henceforth
appears insufficient, the reference clock information item having
become fundamental in the operation of the digital television
decoder, to limit oneself to the normal operation until now; this
consisted in storing a unique clock information item acquired via a
unique source to determine said internal reference clock
information item of the decoder.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The subject matter of the invention offers a solution to the
problems that have been described by proposing a method of
generating a time base within a digital television decoder in which
a plurality of clock information items coming from different
sources are used in order to constitute said considered time base.
Thus, each digital television decoder is capable of having a
temporal behaviour that is specific to it, behaviour defined by the
distributor of the decoder and/or by different clock information
items which are available via different sources. Advantageously,
the present invention proposes recovering clock information items
coming from at least one first source and from at least one second
source, and generating from these different clock information items
a span of temporal coherence.
Also advantageously, the clock information items recovered by the
digital television decoder are hierarchized particularly according
to a previously established order, in order for example to define
an internal reference clock of the considered digital television
decoder.
The invention essentially relates to a method of determining an
unusual behavior of an electronic apparatus, said electronic
apparatus carrying out an operation requiring the use of an
internal reference clock information item of said electronic
apparatus, characterized in that it comprises the various steps
consisting in: comparing the internal reference clock information
item with a span of temporal coherence of the electronic apparatus,
said span of temporal coherence being determined on the basis of
various temporal information items stored within the electronic
apparatus; in the case of inconsistency between the internal
reference clock information item and the span of temporal
coherence, storing an information item relating to an unusual
behaviour of said electronic apparatus.
Apart from the main characteristics that have been mentioned in the
preceding paragraph, the method according to the invention may have
one or more complementary characteristics among the following,
considered individually or according to all technically possible
combinations: the method comprises the additional step consisting
in conditioning the storing of the information item relative to the
unusual behaviour of the electronic apparatus on the observation of
at least one of the following conditions in a limited time interval
related to the carrying out of the operation requiring the use of
the internal reference clock: a number of information sources, from
which the temporal information items are acquired, accessible by
the electronic apparatus, has varied; an operation of connecting
and/or disconnecting a cable connected to the electronic apparatus
has been observed; an operation of purchasing an audio and/or video
content has been carried out through the intermediary of the
electronic apparatus. the method comprises the various steps
consisting in: to determine the span of temporal coherence,
acquiring from a first information source a first temporal
information item able to be used as internal clock of said
electronic apparatus; acquiring from at least one following
information source at least one following temporal information
item, each following temporal information item being able to be
used as internal clock of said electronic apparatus; storing in a
memory of the electronic apparatus the first temporal information
item and each following temporal information item, all of the
stored temporal information items constituting a time base of the
electronic apparatus; selecting among the different stored temporal
information items an internal reference clock of the electronic
apparatus. the step of selecting the internal reference clock is
carried out by associating a hierarchy level with each stored
temporal information item, the internal reference clock being
constituted of the stored temporal information item associated with
the highest hierarchy level. the hierarchy level is assigned, for
each stored temporal information item, as a function of the
information sources from where the considered temporal information
item comes. rules of association of the levels of hierarchy are
stored in a memory of the electronic apparatus prior to the
acquisition of the temporal information items. the method comprises
the additional step consisting in replacing a stored temporal
information item by a more recent temporal information item coming
from the same information source as said stored temporal
information item.
The present invention also relates to an electronic apparatus,
particularly a digital television decoder, able to implement the
method according to the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
The figures are only given for information purposes and in no way
limit the invention. The figures show:
in FIG. 1, a schematic representation of the processing according
to the invention, within a digital television decoder, of different
available time sources;
in FIG. 2, a flow diagram illustrating an example of implementation
of the method of generating a time base within a digital television
decoder;
in FIG. 3, a schematic representation of a curve, forming a span of
temporal coherence, illustrating the taking into account of
different time sources within a digital television decoder;
in FIG. 4, a schematic representation of a temporal information
item inconsistent in comparison with the coherence span of FIG.
3;
in FIG. 5, a diagram illustrating an example of application of the
implementation of the method according to the invention of
generation of a time base.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AT LEAST ONE EMBODIMENT OF THE
INVENTION
Unless otherwise specified, a same element appearing in different
figures has a single reference.
The invention is more particularly described within the context of
digital television decoders, without the scope of the invention
being restricted to this example of application.
FIG. 1 represents a digital television decoder 100 able to
implement the method according to the invention. The decoder 100,
to be able to implement the method according to the invention, is
able to receive a flux of signals from at least one first source of
signals and at least one second source of signals. Thus, in the
example represented, the decoder 100 is able to receive signals
from: a first source 101 constituted of a remote server; this is
then known as NTP (Network Time Protocol) source; the NTP source
may be, in a conventional manner, of secure or basic type; a second
source 102 constituted of terrestrial broadcasting means, known
under the acronym DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcasting Terrestrial); a
third source 103 constituted of satellite emission means, known
under the acronym DVB-S (Digital Video Broadcasting Satellite); a
fourth source 104 constituted of cable emission means, known under
the acronym DVB-C (Digital Video Broadcasting Cable); a fifth
source 105 constituted of emission means using the Internet network
and portals using API.
In practice, any decoder able to receive a clock information item
from at least one separate first source and a second source, chosen
from among the sources that have been cited or others, is able to
implement the method according to the invention.
In the decoder 100, for the implementation of the method according
to the invention, the use of an internal clock management module
106 is proposed. The module 106 is able to identify in the signals
received by different sources 101 to 105 clock information items,
or temporal information items, li-i corresponding to an index
identifying the source of the clock information item--specific to
each of the sources considered. In fact, in practice, a difference
which can extend up to several minutes may be observed between the
different clock information items received from the different
sources. According to the invention, the module 106 provides for
the storing of all of these clock information items in a data
storage module 107. All of the clock information items li thereby
stored constitute a time base of the decoder 100.
Advantageously, once a temporal information item li is stored in
the data storage module 107, it may be replaced by a following
temporal information item received from the same source as the
source having supplied said considered information.
According to the invention, the decoder selects an internal
reference clock 108 from among the stored temporal information
items li. The internal reference clock is used for all the
conventional operations requiring the use of a temporal information
item within the decoder. The invention proposes the advantage of
leaving the distributor of the decoder with liberty to define what
stored temporal information item will be used as internal reference
clock. The choice of the internal reference clock among the
different stored clock information items is made according to
operating rules stored beforehand in a programme memory 109 of the
time management module 106.
Thus, in an advantageous example, it is possible to define a level
of hierarchy between the different temporal information items li
stored in the data memory 107, the hierarchy level being for
example associated with the source supplying the considered
temporal information item.
The selection of the internal reference clock 108 is then carried
out in the manner described with reference to the flow diagram of
FIG. 2.
In this operating example, in a first step 201, the selection of an
internal reference clock 201 is launched.
In a following decision step 202, it is verified that the decoder
100 indeed authorises, at the considered instant, such an operation
of selection of internal reference clock. To this end, it is
provided for example to verify the availability of one of the
temporal information items li in the memory 107, which is then a
candidate temporal information item le, and optionally to verify
the value of a parameter stored within the decoder, parameter of
which the value may evolve by the sending, via the flux of usual
signals, of a new value for the considered parameter.
If the decoder 100 does not authorise the operation of selecting an
internal reference clock, or if no candidate clock information item
le is available in the memory 107, then the operation of selecting
said internal reference clock is stopped in a step 203, and no new
internal reference clock 108 is stored.
Conversely, if the operation of selecting an internal reference
clock is possible, in a following decision step 204, a verification
is carried out consisting in determining whether an internal
reference clock 108 is already stored within the decoder 100. If
not, in a following step 204, the internal reference clock 108 is
updated by means of the stored temporal information item li
determined as available in step 202, by initializing said internal
reference clock by means of the value associated with the stored
temporal information item li determined as available in step
202.
If an internal reference clock 108 is effectively already stored
within the decoder 100, after having been selected beforehand from
among the temporal information items available in the memory 107,
in a decision step 205, it is determined if the candidate temporal
information item le needs to replace or not the internal reference
clock 108.
To this end, it is advantageously provided in the invention to
associate each temporal information item li, and thus the candidate
temporal information item le and the reference clock 108, with a
value H that is specific to each source supplying the reference
temporal information items.
Thus, it is possible to define as selection rule stored in the
memory 109, for example, that the temporal information items coming
from a satellite flux have a higher hierarchical level than the
temporal information items coming from a flux of signals
transmitted by cable. The hierarchy of the sources capable of
supplying a temporal information item is determined by the
distributor of the decoder and is stored in the selection rules of
the memory 109; this hierarchy may advantageously be modified
during the lifetime of the decoder.
It is thus verified in step 205 if the hierarchy level H(lc) of the
candidate temporal information item is greater than the hierarchy
level H(108) of the internal reference clock 108 of the decoder
100. If it does not, the internal reference clock is maintained
without assigning to it the value of the temporal information item
le in observing step 203. If it does, the internal reference clock
108 is updated using the value of the candidate temporal
information item le in observing step 204.
In the invention, by storing different temporal information items
li in the memory 107 of the time management module 106, a time base
is available within the decoder 100. This time base makes it
possible to define a span of temporal coherence 300 which is
illustrated in FIG. 3. In this figure, five points P1, P2, P3, P4
and P5 have been positioned on a graph, the x-axis of which
corresponds to the source supplying one of the temporal information
items li, and the y-axis of which correspond to the value of the
temporal information items li. Thus, in the example represented,
the points P1 to P5 correspond respectively to the temporal
information items 11 to 15, and come from five separate sources,
referenced respectively S1 to S5.
The span of temporal coherence 300 is constituted of a series of
temporal values which are not inconsistent compared to the stored
temporal information items li. It is defined here that a temporal
information item is not inconsistent compared to the stored
temporal information items li if the positioning of said not
inconsistent temporal information item, as a function of the source
with which it is associated, in the graph 301 is located in the
polygon, or in the immediate proximity of the polygon, formed by
the summits of the points P1 to P5. It is said that a positioning
Pi of said not inconsistent temporal information item li, as a
function of the source with which it is associated, in the graph
301 is located in the immediate proximity of the polygon if the
considered temporal information item li has not undergone any
variation greater than several minutes, typically three minutes
compared to its previously stored value. Thus, in FIG. 4, it is
considered that the point P2, which has undergone a significant
movement compared to its usual positioning represented in FIG. 3,
reveals an inconsistent temporal information item 12.
FIG. 5 illustrates an example of use of the time bases 20 generated
by the method according to the invention, using the spans of
temporal coherence that ensue therefrom.
Thus, in FIG. 5 has been represented a series of events capable of
being observed within the decoder 100 and which are capable of
revealing an unusual behaviour of the decoder 100.
A set of data relative to the decoder 100 has thus firstly been
stored.
A first data 501 is constituted of the coherence span 300 as
defined previously. An event 511 capable of being observed,
associated with this data, resides in the presence of an
inconsistent temporal information item 30 as defined
previously.
A second data 502 is constituted of the storing of the number of
active inputs on the television decoder 100, in other words the
number of sources available to supply information items to the
decoder in the form of a flux of signals. An event 512 capable of
being observed, associated with this data, resides in a variation
in the number of active inputs available.
A third data 503 is constituted of the storing of the number of
operations of connecting or and/or of disconnecting a cable
connected to the decoder 100, whether it is a power supply cable,
and/or a video cable, and/or an Ethernet cable, and/or any cable
capable of being connected to the decoder 100. An event 513 capable
of being observed, associated with this data, resides in the
observation of an operation of connecting and/or disconnecting at
least one of the cables.
A fourth data 504 is constituted of the presence of paying
operations carried out within the decoder 100, for example the
purchase of VOD. An event 514 capable of being observed, associated
with this data, resides in the effective observation of paying
operations carried out by means of the decoder.
According to the invention, if the event 511 is observed as well as
at least one of the other events, or in certain examples of
implementation all of these mentioned events is observed in a
related limited time interval--in other words in a time span of
several minutes, typically twenty or so minutes--of an operation
requiring the use of the internal reference clock 108 (for example
the purchase of a VOD), then an unusual behaviour 521 of decoder
100 is recorded.
Such an unusual behaviour may moreover constitute an index of
presumption with regard to a fraudulent use of the decoder, a
suspicion as regards an intervention of the user on the internal
reference clock of the decoder then being present.
* * * * *